WestsideCARES’ roots in the Colorado Springs community run deep.

The nonprofit has operated for more than 40 years, helping neighbors in need, according to WestsideCARES’ website.

Today, the organization employs 10 part-time staff, some having served as long as 20 years, said Kristy Milligan, WestsideCARES’ chief executive officer.

They reach 10,000 residents a year from south of the Air Force Academy and north of Fort Carson to east of the Teller County line and west of Interstate 25.

WestsideCARES also utilizes 60 unpaid staff and more than 400 volunteers to provide 25,000-plus hours of crisis human services each year.

Those volunteers, and their hours of labor, bolster a wide variety of assistance programs.

For a senior citizen, that assistance might look like getting help on next month’s rent. For a single mom, it might entail grabbing a sack of groceries from the food pantry. The array of needs runs the gamut from health care and mentorship to administrative services and transportation.

This year, the longtime nonprofit saw a significant uptick in residents seeking assistance, and signs indicate even more help will be required in 2026, growing the branches of WestsideCARES’ giving tree.

“We’re seeing increased need with rental assistance,” Milligan said. “Food pantry service and housing navigation have increased, too.”

Milligan said the surge in need can be traced to cuts in government funding, especially in rental assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.

Despite the shifting landscape in America’s governmental assistance programs, Milligan affirmed that WestsideCARES’ ability to meet the needs of the community hasn’t changed.

“We are innovating, recognizing that people need support more than ever,” Milligan said. “So far, we have been very, very fortunate to maintain our existing portfolio of services.”

That’s in large part because WestsideCARES is privately funded and does not receive or distribute federal or state money.

And data show their model is working.

WestsideCARES’ housing retention rate since 2018 is at 85%. That means 85% of the people for whom the organization helped find housing have stayed housed.

The magic ingredient? Relationship.

“Our relationship does not end when they get to housing,” Milligan said. “We help with landlord mediation, paperwork, compliance and life things that just show up for people.”

Not only has the volume of needs increased, but Milligan has noticed people’s complexity of needs has intensified, too.

“Being able to provide a lot of service in one stop for a neighbor is the most effective way of addressing their challenges,” Milligan said.

But Milligan recognizes one organization can’t do it alone, either. Collaboration with other local nonprofits is key to successfully meeting the needs of the community.

“Every intervention that is available is absolutely crucial,” Milligan said. “It is extremely helpful to have a strong network of supportive services for people.”

At the end of the day, whether the needs of the community grow wider and more difficult, Milligan said the work they do is all about meeting the needs of that one person in front of them.